Westfield Matildas coach Alen Stajcic is confident the gameplan employed at the AFC Women's Asian Cup will stand up well at next year's FIFA Women's World Cup.
Australia suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to rivals Japan in last weekend's final in Jordan.
Stajcic's side saved their best performance for the decider, commanding possession and creating the bulk of the chances, but a lone Kumi Yokoyama goal in the 84th minute proved the difference.
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While conceding his disappointment, the two-time Westfield W-League Coach of the Year believes the world's sixth-ranked nation are on the right track to succeed at France 2019.
"I think we've come a long way as a team," Stajcic told matildas.footballaustralia.com.au.
"I don't like losing but I'd rather be in our position where you can dominate matches.
"Come World Cup time, the teams that dominate most matches usually end up winning.
"To come away with nothing hurts a little bit, but to feel that disappointment with coming second in a major tournament just shows the expectation we've got on ourselves as a team, and I guess the kind of expectation other people have as well."
The squad has all now dispersed in different directions, with many headed to their NWSL clubs in the United States.
They will soon come together again for the Tournament of Nations, where the Westfield Matildas will be defending the trophy they won in such stunning style last year.
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Stajcic is looking forward to the chance for more high-level challenges against Japan, Brazil and the USA.
"It's great to get that level of the competition," he said.
"That's always the issue, getting the right amount of games against and against the right quality of opposition.
"We’re very fortunate we're being supported by FFA to get these games.
"It's great to play against three countries like that from three different continents."
